Brexit Party MEP: Boris’s Deal Is Theresa May’s Treaty ‘Warmed Up’

WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - MAY 30: Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at a campaign rally at
Christopher Furlong/Getty
Victoria Friedman

A Brexit Party MEP has said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s new Brexit plans are just Theresa May’s treaty “warmed up”.

On Wednesday, Boris Johnson revealed his alternative exit treaty plan with the EU that eliminates the Irish backstop with other arrangements.

The Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Steve Baker, the leader of the hardline Eurosceptic European Research Group (ERG), have embraced the proposals. However, Brexit Party politicians maintain that even without the backstop, the treaty concedes too much to Brussels and does not deliver Brexit.

Speaking on the Brexit Party’s BrexBox webcast, James Wells MEP said: “Apart from the tweak to the backstop, we still end up with May’s deal warmed up.”

Theresa May’s Brexit treaty, approved by the EU, was rejected three times in the House of Commons. Brexiteers have feared that Johnson’s pursuit of a deal would result in a similar deal being put before MPs a fourth time.

Noting that all of the other aspects of the treaty remain, the MEP for Wales continued: “We still give away all of our fishing, we still have a two-year transition where there’s still no certainty for businesses, and we still do not know what the deal will be at the end of the day.”

Referencing the £39 billion divorce bill, Mr Wells said: “We give away huge amounts of money [and] we’re still under the jurisdiction of the ECJ [European Court of Justice].”

“The truth is, the actual legally binding part of the withdrawal agreement is exactly the same, virtually.”

Brexit campaign group Fishing for Leave also said on Wednesday that the new deal “falls way short of Brexit for British fishing”.

The group said that under the terms of the deal, the UK would have to obey the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) “for up to three-and-a-half years”. This means that the UK would not take back control of her fishing waters on November 1st and European fleets could continue to catch Britain’s fish.

“Unless the Future Relationship is re-written, we’d be pushed into CFP associate membership forever,” they warned.

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage warned yesterday: “It is clear Boris Johnson is going to reheat her dreadful deal.” Later, he remarked that the treaty would leave Britain at the mercy of the EU.

He said: “Boris only wants to change one part of the Withdrawal Agreement. Despite his words, there is no guarantee that we will leave the Customs Union, and any future trade deal needs good faith from the EU side.

“It’s like putting your head in a crocodile’s mouth and hoping for the best.”

Mr Farage is opposed to any rehashed May deal or renegotiated treaty with the EU. Backing a no deal Brexit, he said: “Anything less than a Clean-Break Brexit would betray 17.4 million Leave voters.”

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